Makes about 1 quart We love to make this in the winter, when citrus is really doing its thing. This ice cream is unique in that it uses only the zest from the orange and none of the juice. The result is a delicate, floral citrus flavor that is a nice complement to the aromatic cardamom.

TECHNIQUE: Ice cream

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: Ice cream machine and Microplane or other rasp grater

INFUSING AND CHILLING TIME: 30 minutes, plus 2 hours or overnight    SHELF LIFE: 1 week

INGREDIENTS AND PREPARATION

2 tablespoons Green Cardamom Pods 1 ¾ cups Heavy Cream ¾ cup 1% or 2% Milk ½ cup Sugar ¼ teaspoon Kosher Salt 5 large Egg Yolks 1 large Orange

INFUSE THE MILK/CREAM

• Toast the green cardamom pods in a small skillet over medium heat for 2-3 minutes until aromatic. Remove from heat and let cool for a minute, then coarsely chop the pods using a sharp knife.
• In a heavy nonreactive saucepan, stir together the chopped cardamom, heavy cream, milk, half of the sugar, and salt.
• Put the pan over medium-high heat and cover it when the mixture just begins to bubble around the edges.
• Let it steep for about 30 minutes or until the cream mixture has a distinct cardamom flavor.

MAKE THE BASE

• In a medium heatproof bowl, whisk the egg yolks and add the remaining sugar.
• Uncover the cream mixture and put the pan over medium-high heat. When it approaches a bare simmer, reduce the heat to medium.
• Scoop out ½ cup of the hot cream mixture, whisk it into the bowl with the egg yolks, and repeat the process.
• Stir the cream in the saucepan using a heatproof rubber spatula while slowly pouring the egg-and-cream mixture from the bowl into the pan.
• Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly until it thickens, coats the back of a spatula, and holds a clear path.
• Strain the base through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean container.
• Zest the orange over the warm base and stir to combine. Set the container into an ice-water bath, stir the base occasionally until it is cool, and then refrigerate it for at least 2 hours or overnight.

FREEZE THE ICE CREAM

• Freeze the base in an ice cream machine following the manufacturer’s instructions.
• While the ice cream is churning, put the container you’ll use to store the ice cream into the freezer.
• Transfer the ice cream to the chilled container and freeze for at least 4 hours.

MAKE IT YOUR OWN

• Use another variety of orange such as navel or Valencia.
• Replace the cardamom with a cinnamon stick, a couple of star anise, or a few Szechuan peppercorns.
• Fold chopped toasted pistachios into the finished ice cream.

SERVE IT WITH

• Earl Grey Ice Cream or Crème Fraîche Ice Cream
• Dark Chocolate Cookies to make an ice cream sandwich.